Return Series
by Clockwork Calamities
Summary: Action does not always solve problems in a land created by man. In the year 30XX, a game is created by the software company Visicorp, the latest and greatest virtual reality gaming company in the world to date. Now, a man made force of unbelieveable power has escaped containment in the world, and it's the job of a hired team to stop it.
1. Mission 01 - Plan A

It started like anything and everything else. A plan to achieve what was ordinarily out of our grasp. But it started growing. It manifested itself into something much larger than we could have possibly imagined. It turned itself into a problem. That left us, as it's creators, to be the solution.

*** ***

_MISSION 01 - PLAN A_

The corridors of our base of operations were a cold, steel-grey color, though they were rock. Base thirty-seven, a.k.a. "Epsilon", was in the heart of a canyon, the latest place where thatthing had been sighted. It was strange, but with that thing running around, I felt a lot better about all of this.

Our target was one of eight prototypes that escaped from Base thirty-nine ("Alpha"). It's codename was Striker, a prototype mecha-beast that could inflict tons of damage to anyone in the area. Thing is, it hurts people outside too.

We operate inside of a virtual world called "Magi", where people gather to socialize and fight. Really not very surprising to me that this project would go wrong. After all, these beasts were made from the collected data of viruses that were meshed together and then given physical shape.

Anyway, my job was to hunt down the beast and stop it at any cost. I could destroy it, capture it, or let it exhaust itself until it deleted itself. I was going with plan A; capture the beast for testing and evaluation.

*** ***

_THE CRAGGY CANYON_  
An area in the mountains of Magi, meant for the purpose of exploration and treasure hunting, making it one of many social and combat areas in the game.

A small, black furred beast looked around, holding a sword in his hand. His fangs and tail being rat-like in appearance. He looked around before opening a small private message window.

"Tailable here. Tell me what's up." said the small rat named Tailable. He was currently on patrol in the area of Craggy Canyon.

"Hm? Oh. Well yes, I understand the situation. Of course sir. I'll get right on it sir." said Tailable, closing the private message.

"Well shit. More work hunting down that damn virus spawned monster. I fuckin' hate hunting things down. I just wanna walk and relax." said Tailable, talking to himself.

Sheathing his sword, he jumped down from the rocky ledge he was on, and fell deep into the canyon...

*** ***

_CRAGGY CANYON (GROUND-LEVEL)_  
Deep down at the core of Craggy Canyon is an area full of sharp rocks and ore veins, called the Ground-Level. It is filled with monsters, the majority of which draw their powers from the ground. A maze-like structure makes this one of the more advanced dungeons, as it utilizes a TECH-PROG (Technical Program) to change the structure and paths of the dungeon.

A black monster stands in the center of a group of monsters, all of them watching him closely. Finally, one of them, a skeleton with a spear, lunged at the black monster. The monster sidestepped quickly, before grabbing the skeleton and breaking him in half. The other monsters recoiled in shock before inching back from the growling beast.

As they inched away though, it snarled and launched itself toward them. None of them got away. The last one standing almost made it out before the back of his head was gripped and, with one squeeze, crushed. The beast roared in triumph as it began eating the data of it's fallen adversaries, feasting on them. More would come soon. It would not go hungry.

*** ***

Tailable landed at Ground-Level's entrance, scoping it out contently. He smiled as he noticed the claw marks around the entrance point. The weren't long, but they were deep. Methodical like a human's mind and habits, but savage, like an animal's instincts.

"Looks like beastie-boy was here after all. Making a feast out of the monsters inside." said Tailable, his eyes flashing with excitement. He hated hunting, but he was intrigued to see where the virus data he had gathered went to.

*** ***

A while back, Tailable had recieved a private message from an unknown username, and upon checking it, he noticed that it was a job to gather virus data, and make money in exchange. Back then, he had been a fairly good hacker, worming money out of bank accounts and stealing classified information, so he had some virus data he could give them.

He handed it over and then got a new contract: a job offer, to work with them to make the world a better place. He accepted in a heartbeat, and though it took some negotiating, he would never go back to his old life if he had any say in it.

*** ***

Entering Ground-Level, Tailable saw a familiar pair of wings and eyes staring at him. A young man with pale-white skin, ice-blue eyes, and grey wings floated before him.

"Hey there Grey. So, I take it your my partner for this job, huh?" asked Tailable, smiling at the winged-youth. He didn't mind the kid, but he was way too serious sometimes.

"Correct. Let's finish this quickly. I have a lot of work to do, and if it wasn't for the fact that this is a two-man job at the very least, I would have left it up to you alone." said Grey, showing his care in his usual, serious, stubborn way.

Greywing was a child prodigy that skipped all of Elementary school and sixth-grade at the age of four, and got his highschool diplomah at the age of eleven. He made it through his fourth year of college at age fifteen, and then went back to finish all the work he didn't get an A on. His is now redoing highschool, and his teachers still dislike him. An insomniac who spends most of his time working, doing homework, or enjoying his time with a group of friends from his second attempt at mastering high school (the first group was full of stupid, uninteresting people).

"Okay then kid. Let's get going before we lose track of his trail then." said Tailable. He could track rare monsters, or the virus beasts, but if he lost the trail, or worse, if the trail patched itself up, they were done for.

"Fine. But keep in mind, this thing can hurt you in real life as well, so stay on your guard. I'd hate to imagine what it could do to someone if it destroyed their character." said Grey, floating ahead, Tailable following his angelic friend into the darkness ahead.

*** ***

The beast had eaten it's fill for the moment, and it knew that those strange things would come after it eventually, trying to destroy it and gather it's data. It wanted to survive. Dying would be against what it lived for in the first place.

It would survive. It didn't know why it was compelled to do so, but it didn't want to be trapped. It wanted to live. It wanted to be free to do as it was meant to. It wanted to survive.

The beast let out a howl as it felt something deep inside. Some sort of pain, but it didn't hurt so much as it felt heavy. Like there was a building pressure inside of it.

*** ***

_SIX MONTHS AGO..._

_ The beast opened it's eyes for the first time, and it looked around. It was inside of something, but it could see through. There was a woman with white hair standing there. Her lips moved. Did she just say something? She did! The beast knew she did. What was that word? It felt... right. The word she said felt right. Like it was something important to him._

_ Zephyr. Why was that word so important? What about it was so unique to him? He knew that it was significant for some reason, but he just couldn't place what it was. Wait. Zephyr. Could it be?_

_ Zephyr was his "name"! That was why it was so important to him! No wonder why that word had felt right! It was the name that he was given when he was created!_

_ Zephyr wanted to reach out to the woman and thank her, but the thing he was contained inside of prevented him from getting out. He was trapped. He didn't know why but he was afraid. He didn't like being trapped. It felt... wrong to him._

_ The woman pulled up a private messaging window, and it opened up for Zephyr as well. It had only one sentence, but Zephyr knew that it was something important to him. Something he should remember._

_ "Happy Birthday Zephyr."_

*** ***

Zephyr remembered that woman. That was the reason why he wanted to live. He needed to find that woman and thank her for everything. For that message. For visiting him. For helping him remember his name. He needed to show his appreciation for what she did.

He let out a loud howl of decision, choosing that as his reason for existing, and readied himself for whatever was to come next. Whether it was more monsters, or those things that were following him, he needed to survive to see that woman again.

*** ***

The howl shook the walls of the canyon, and Grey and Tailable knew that they were getting close to their quarry. They knew very little about it's combat abilities, and even less about it's appearance, but they had a feeling they'd know it when they saw it.

As they walked (or in Grey's case, floated), Tailable questioned this whole thing in his head. What was the point of hunting it down like this? Why would they make something that could break free and ultimately put them all in danger, if they thought for even a second that it could get out?

Then it hit him. Something he never thought of before. The beast didn't just break out; it got stronger somehow. Somehow, this thing that they had been developing, that they never wanted to get out until they knew it was ready, had become more powerful than they had intended it to be.

*** ***

_FOUR MONTHS AGO..._

_ Zephyr awoke again, as it had every day at this time for the past two months, and saw her standing there. She smiled at him and he opened his private message system and sent her a message._

_ "Hello Lily. How are you today?" asked Zephyr, his new knowledge on the usage of the messaging system and the concept of bulletproof and sound proof glass making him smarter._

_ "I'm very good today Zephyr. Are you feeling alright?" asked the woman known as Lily, her hair swaying slightly._

_ "I am fine Lily. I was just thinking about something though." said Zephyr, looking at Lily, his only friend._

_ "What were you thinking about? If I can help, I will." said Lily, smiling at him. Zephyr knew this smile. It was soft, kind, and genuine._

_ "I was wondering why I was created Lily. What is my purpose for living? What is my place in life?" asked Zephyr, hoping that his all-knowing friend would know the answer._

_ "What your purpose is?" asked Lily, seeming shocked by the question. She didn't seem to know either._

_ "It's alright Lily. I do not understand it either, though I wish I knew why they made me, yet keep me trapped in here." said Zephyr, looking down._

_ "Oh... alright then Zephyr. Would you... like the new book file?" asked Lily, smiling again._

_ "Yes, please and thank you." said Zephyr, smiling as best as he could as the book file popped up in his private messaging box._

*** ***

Tailable and Grey entered the room in the center of Ground-Level and saw it. Standing on four legs, with dark blue, spiked back fur, and yellow irises in it's eyes. It had two sets of four sharp claws, and it looked at them as if it knew they were coming.

It opened it's mouth and they looked at it, ready for it to howl at them. However, it did not howl. What it did do, surprised them.

"You two have come here to destroy me. To kill me. Am I correct?" asked the beast, looking at them.

"We have. However, we didn't know you could speak." said Grey, looking interested.

"I am Zephyr. I am made out of virus data, given life through the program; a program inside of my body. However, since you have come to destroy me, I will state my own directive, one that I have made for myself." said Zephyr, standing proudly.

"Your own directive? You mean that you made your own choice in your existence?" asked Grey, bewildered.

"I will survive, so that I may be reunited with the one friend I ever had. She gave me hope, knowledge, and friendship. I will give her my thanks." said Zephyr, glaring at them.

"At any cost."

*** ***

_TWO MONTHS AGO..._

_ "Good morning Lily. Are you enjoying your day today?" asked Zephyr, smiling at her. Lilly was his only friend in this world, and he wanted to know how she was doing._

_ "Zephyr, I have some bad news for you..." said Lily, frowning as she looked at him._

_ "Lily, what is wrong? Why are you frowning?" asked Zephyr, feeling something new. What was the word for this arching feeling? Oh, yes: worry._

_ "Starting next month, I'll be transferring to a different base. I'll have to leave in one month, and I won't be back for a while." said Lily, lowering her gaze to the floor._

_ Zephyr couldn't believe it. His best friend, his only friend, was going to be leaving him? He felt upset by this. He'd be all by himself again. He didn't know if he could deal with that._

_ "Lily, why do you have to leave? If it because of me?" asked Zephyr, frowning as he looked at her._

_ "No. It's just... my time as the leader of your emotional stability is over now, and they need me to go to a different base to get back to my research." said Lily, looking up at him._

_ Zephyr looked shocked. She had to leave all because of that? Why would they force him to be alone again? Why would they keep him locked away like this. Like a monster._

*** ***

Zephyr launched himself at his targets, his teeth bared and his claws at the ready. If they thought he would go down easily, they were wrong.

Tailable ran toward him and swung his sword in a long arc, Zephyr barely dodging the attack at his claws, but as he was distracted, Grey had caught up to him and punched him hard in the face.

Zephyr fell toward the ground quickly, and as he did, one thought came to his mind.

"How? How did he keep up with me like that? How can they be so good?" thought Zephyr, twisting in mid-air to land on all fours.

"Killing and harming others is a foolish and self centered trick that only cowards use. You say you want to survive, but you try to destroy us. Who are you to try to decide like that?" asked Grey, staring at Zephyr with a questioning but stern look.

*** ***

_ONE MONTH AGO..._

_ Lily had left, and Zephyr now sat alone, lookibg through his chat log, contemplating her departure. He felt himself moving, but he quickly noticed that only his pod was moving. Perhaps he could see the outside now? No. He knew that they had no plans of letting him see the outside. It would be foolish._

_ His pod traveled quickly through the facility, until it got to a room that had a large spiral antenna in the middle, guarded by a laser grid._

_ As his pod opened, he saw another beast across the room. It looked like him, but it was snarling and thrashing about inside of a cage. He felt something new at this sight, but he couldn't quite place a word to a feeling this time. A voice rang out._

_ "Battle routine, set. Execute."_

_ As the beast was let loose, it charged toward him, and he used his own speed to quickly sidestep and bring his hind leg up into the other beast's chest, sending him flying away._

_ As Zephyr crouched low, anticipating another attack, the beast got up, and Zephyr noticed a mark on it's chest. A claw mark._

_ It charged him again, and this time Zephyr jumped over it, twirling his tail around it's neck instead, flipping it onto it's back with one fluid motion._

_ A voice echoed in his head. It said only two words, but they sent a shiver up his back._

_ "Kill it." said the voice._

_ Zephyr didn't know where the voice had come from, but it scared him. It was cold and empty, like a void._

_ He slowly raised his back leg, flexing his claws. He couldn't stop it. It was time to finish this._

_ His leg shot out, shattering the other beast's body in two, it's data spraying out into the air as it was destroyed entirely. It was over. Then he heard the voice again._

_ "Devour it's data." said the voice._

_ Zephyr did as he was told and devoured the data. It was so full of pain and emptiness that he let out a loud howl. This couldn't be his life, not all of it, he knew this wasn't it. But inside, he knew one more thing: he was lying to himself._

*** ***

Tailable was sent hurtling toward the wall, a loud crack noise being heard as he made contact, before his body crumpled onto the ground.

Zephyr stood at the ready, staring at Tailable. He didn't know why, but fighting these two felt wrong to him.

Tailable got up and looked at him. He had a familiar look in his eyes. A look that was soft, and gentle. A look that was full of kindness and understanding.

A look like Lily's eyes had.

Zephyr recoiled and held his head, unable to understand this feeling, this strange pain in his chest that ached him so.

"Why? Why does my chest hurt? Why do I have to fight?" asked Zephyr, looking at the ground.

"You don't have to fight." said Tailable, causing Zephyr to sit up and look at him.

"Ha! I will not be destroyed without a fight!" yelled Zephyr, growling at Tailable.

"You won't be destroyed. I never intended to destroy you. I can bring you back to the lab, and they'll see that you're not dangerous to anyone. Please, just come back." said Tailable, sheathing his blade.

Zephyr stared at him, bewildered by Tailable's proposition. He didn't have to be destroyed? Why had he never thought of that?

Growling he stepped toward Tailable, but he stopped and smiled.

"I would like that. Thank you." said Zephyr, smiling,

Tailable smiled back at Zephyr, and together, the three of them walked back to the base.

*** ***

_ONE WEEK LATER..._

_ Tailable and Grey were sitting in two office chairs, looking at the researcher across from them. He had a stack of papers and a smile on his face._

_ He told the two of them that, effective immediately, they would have a new member joining their ranks, and that they would be the first team in the organization's history._

_ When they asked who their new partner would be, the door behind them opened and the researcher started talking._

_ "Your new team member's name is," and the two turned around, looking at a young boy with short, spiky, light-blue hair and yellow eyes, "Zephyr." said the researcher, smiling._

*** ***

Author's note: So, with that, this Mission is Cleared. So, Tailable, Greywing, and Zephyr are a team now, and I gotta wonder how that'll work out, ya' know, in the future?

Also, for anyone that is wondering, I plan to make at least one reference per Mission, and so, I hope you understand them all.

Fun fact: I based Zephyr's beast form, for the most part, off of a Megaman Battle Network enemy that spits fire, which is the only difference.

Next time: Zephyr has a day off, so he goes to find Lily, and great amount of trouble comes to him. Stay tuned to see how our beast fares!

Zephyr: Please, review so that I can have a purpose in this world!


	2. Sidequest 01 - Zephyr's Personal Mission

Author's Note: This is a sidequest chapter, which is meant to expand upon the character(s) involved. This is the first sidequest, and it will be focusing on Zephyr and how he feels about everything that's happened in the past six months of his life. So, enjoy Zephyr's Personal Mission.

*** ***

_8:00 AM, THE DAY BEFORE..._

Zephyr walked the halls of Base Alpha, looking at everything that he found interesting. Several researchers watched him as he walked down the halls. He heard them whispering between each other.

"Wait, isn't that the beast?"

"Why's it here? Who let it in?"

"Stay away from it, it could go mad at any time."

"Someone should be keeping it in check."

"Why isn't anyone with it?"

Zephyr was hurt by their words, and how they were acting. It wasn't as if he was still a beast. He was normal now. His instincts were there, but suppressed and sedated. His beastial body was now human like. He talked normally. Even his ability to damage people on the "other side" was under control, so that it could only be used if authorized. Still though, everyone acted as if he was still that growling beast.

Zephyr headed toward the training center, intent on getting some practice in his new body. The training dummy he requested be put up was steel, so he could slash away without it getting torn to shreds. He still had the small quirk of not controlling his attacks and not gauging how much he put into an attack, so sometimes he wore himself out before he really did much of anything. His friends had suggested he practiced on training dummies so he could practice control.

Zephyr put on his claws and started to slash at the dummy's weakpoints, trying hard to keep himself under control and not completely destroy the thing. He had other plans in mind. However, after his twentieth cut, the dummy had been sliced in half. He was staring at the dummy, upset at his uncontrolled slicing.

He had a feeling that the researcher that was in charge of him was right. Perhaps his reason for being this way was because he was emotionally distressed. He had questioned multiple times how a virus could have emotions, and the researcher told him it was a program inside of him that was referred to as the program, a "heart" for him that could replicate emotions, and allow him to react upon them.

Being built for the purpose of protecting the populace of Magi from threats, Zephyr had a program that was meant to fuel emotions of worry and sadness, but happiness and anger as well. Gentle, but fierce. Zephyr was the last beast to be made, and the most advanced because of it.

Zephyr smiled as he made up his mind. He was going to find Lily, and thank her for everything that she had done for him. It was what he had set out to do.

*** ***

_11:00 PM, THE NIGHT BEFORE..._

_ A scream was heard from the central lobby of Magi, Puella Dons. A player's character had been defeated in battle, his avatar laying on the ground, blanked out._

_ His adversary stood above him, chuckling at his defeated foe. He was tall, a had red wings, with one large talon for a right hand._

_ "You were strong my little morsel, but nothing to talk about. Now, I won, so you'll keep to our deal, won't you?" said the bird-like brute,as he brought up a page and quickly stripped his opponent of everything he had._

_ "Y-You can't... do that..." said the defeated player, clutching his chest. That last blow. It had hurt._

_ "Oh, but I can. Enjoy your night little one. I leave you with only two items: your pants, and your stubby sword. Enjoy." said the bird-like character, flying off into the sky._

*** ***

_2:00 PM, THE DAY OF..._

Zephyr was reading the paper when he noticed a story that caught his attention.

_**Extra, extra! Big news! Unknown assailant robs players in the middle of the night! Described as a bird-like individual with red wings! To be considered highly dangerous and should not be approached!**_

__Under that was a story that made Zephyr stop moving and shake slightly, his chest hurting.

_**Local researcher, Lily Atoms, has passed away over the weekend. Though many did not know her, she will be missed by all of her co-workers and friends alike.**_

__"Lily, what does 'passed away' mean?" asked Zephyr to nobody in particular. He then heard a familiar voice.

"Kid, it means that she died recently." said Tailable, sitting next to Zephyr with a sigh.

"Dead? Lily is dead?" asked Zephyr, his voice shaking slightly.

"Yeah. Me and her didn't talk much, but I can't help but feel bad that she's passed on now. I mean, she must've been important to plenty of people. Never met a sweeter girl in my life." said Tailable, shaking his head sadly.

"Lily, my friend... is dead?" asked Zephyr, looking at Tailable, who looked back at him.

"Sorry buddy, but... she's gone. Nobody could do anythin' about it, ya' know?" asked Tailable, patting Zephyr on the back.

"What do I do now? I was going to go see her at Epsilon Base today, but now..." said Zephyr, shaking slightly. His chest hurt. It hurt a lot, but he ignored it.

*** ***

_FIVE MONTHS AGO..._

_ Lily's office was the place where some meetings were held for Zephyr's emotional state. It was important to maintain an emotional average with him, and to make sure that he's stable at all times. It was a comfy place, with a bed that Lily picked specifically for Zephyr. Their meetings always began with questions that Zephyr would ask of Lily, something that helped Zephyr remain in check for the majority of the day, and would help him learn more about humans, which was part of his programming._

_ "Lily, what is right and wrong? I hear about it whenever the tank is opened, but I _  
_have no clue what it is." stated Zephyr, monotonous as always._

_ "Right and wrong are the things that you should and shouldn't do. Killing is wrong, but protecting yourself and others is right. Being able to justify something doesn't make it right, same as not being able to justify something doesn't make it wrong. Doing what is right for those around you is a good place to start." said Lily, smiling as always._

_ "So, what are wrong things to do then Lily? I know that killing is wrong unless you are protecting yourself from someone else, or protecting others. But please, tell me some more things that are wrong. I need to learn these things." said Zephyr, showing signs of interest for the first time._

_ "Well, stealing is wrong, swearing is wrong, and harming those who don't deserve it is wrong. Are those good enough examples Zephyr, or do you need more?" asked Lily, stating the top three things that came to her mind._

*** ***

Zephyr looked at the first report on the news and frowned. Stealing. Hurting people who don't deserve it. Two of the things that Lily said were wrong. This was it. This would be how he thanked her. He would right the wrongs that he saw in the world around him.

"I'm gonna stop this thief. He needs to be brought to justice." said Zephyr, looking at the paper.

"What? Why would you do that? I mean, you have other things to do, right?" asked Tailable, looking at Zephyr.

"Something isn't right solely because you can justify it. I can justify not helping, but that isn't right. Besides," said Zephyr, Tailable staring at him solumnly, "I feel like there's a reason for me to do this. Like this was meant to happen, one way or another." said Zephyr, looking at Tailable, who was smiling back.

As Zephyr got up and walked away, Tailable watched him leave.

"Man, that kid surprises me more and more every day." said Tailable, getting up and walking away. He had high hopes that the kid would become stronger than he already is. He knew it, deep down inside.

*** ***

_7:00 PM, THE NIGHT OF..._

The back alleys of Magi were a dangerous place to be. Merchants without licenses, thugs for hire, and hackers galore. Zephyr, wearing a long cloak, made his way through the shifty and shady crowd, headed for the area that the last theft was at. He kept his eyes down, moving as quickly as he could.

When he made it to the area of the last robbery, a voice boomed and cawwed loudly. It was shrill, but strong.

"You seem like the type to make a deal! How would you like to wager your gear in exchange for a rare item and 20,000 Revalts through a fight? I win, you keep your stuff and get some money and rare goods. I win, you lose your stuff. Do we have a deal?" asked the voice, high-pitched and obnoxious.

"Deal. But also, if I win, you have to quit making these deals with people." said Zephyr, smiling.

"Fine. Well then, let's-" said the voice, a thump being heard behind Zephyr as a claw rose up, "begin!" yelled the birdman, Zephyr's cloak being torn apart.

"Hehe, gotcha." said the birdman. He spoke too soon though as a fist collided with the side of his face. He spun through the air, crashing against a wall.

"Gotcha." said Zephyr, his body covered in cobalt-colored armor. He smiled at the birdman.

"I'm Zephyr. Tell me your name, so that I can give this my all." said Zephyr, his expression grim.

"I'm Thorn. Thorn the virus beast." said birdman, Zephyr going pale.

"Virus... beast?" asked Zephyr, looking at Thorn.

"So you've heard of us, huh? Then you know how terribly strong we are!" said Thorn, his feathers sticking out proudly.

"You're my brother then?" asked Zephyr. Thorn looked confused by this, and laughed.

"Brother? I am a beast and you are a loser!" said Thorn, cawing loudly.

Zephyr let out a beast like growl, showing his sharp beast fangs. Thorn looked at him in shock, but cawed again, laughing.

"So you are a beast! But you look so soft and fleshy! I'll have to tear that body apart so I can see what you look like!" yelled Thorn, smiling madly. Zephyr smiled as he showed his claws.

"Bring it then Bird-brain brother!" yelled Zephyr, pulling out his claws.

*** ***

"Tailable, where is Zephyr? He was supposed to do a test run of his new battle gear today." said a researcher, looking at the small, rat-like character.

"Why, didn't I tell ya? Zephyr went after that thief in the back alleys. I watched him go too." replied Tailable, smiling at the researcher who looked flabbergasted.

"You let him go into combat? With his new, untested, prototype VZ-GX battle gear in tow? Even though you were ordered to find him and bring him back?" asked the researcher, anger entering his tone.

"Yes, I did. You may not notice it, but Zephyr is learning, and fast. He might even have emotions now. To see somethin' like that come from a digitally-created being is more than amazin' to me. It's something extraordinary. To deny him the chance to feel these emotions of his would have been wrong." said Tailable, glaring at the researcher.

"Besides, I think that the kid has a better chance of taking down this thief than anyone else. Because, that thief is a virus beast." said Tailable, smirking.

*** ***

Zephyr smiled as his claws slashed at the feathers that were shot at him, cutting them to pieces. He wasn't sure, but this felt fun to him.

Thorn smirked and dashed forward at Zephyr, who countered with a well timed duck, smirking as he uppercutted Thorn in the gut and sent him flying up.

Thorn caught himself in midair and turned upright, cawing loudly and proudly at his successful turn-around. He launched more feathers down, which were sliced to bits quickly.

Zephyr smirked as he felt a bolt of electricity in his hands.

"Finally. Took long enough for the things to charge." said Zephyr, looking at Thorn, who started charging downward.

*** ***

"So, you're telling me that Zephyr's battle gear has some sort of absorbtion quality imbedded in it, that allows him to double his strength?" asked Tailable, smiling at the prospect.

"Indeed. His claws can be electrified for a stunning blow, meant to immobilize the enemy in question. It's only a theory, but it should be able to stop even a virus beast." said the researcher, frowning.

*** ***

Zephyr grabbed Thorn by the face as he came down, smiling at his idea.

"What are you doing?! Don't delete me! Don't!" yelled Thorn, before a large electrical shock rendered him immobilized. Zephyr threw him down on the ground and smiled.

"Game, set, match. I won, you lost." said Zephyr, picking up Thorn and carrying him away, intent on getting him back to base Alpha as soon as possible.

*** ***

Thorn was sleeping in a tank, Zephyr standing outside of it, looking at his brother. He still had his memories of his time in a tank. It was a horrible thing to imagine, and an even worse thing to live through.

"So kid, you having second thoughts about all of this?" asked Tailable, walking up nonchalantly.

"Yeah. I think it is wrong to imprison my brother inside a tank, which I tried to escape to desperately myself." said Zephyr.

"Don't worry Zephyr. Thorn will be part of the team soon as well. You see, Thorn was made out of the personality of someone who died. He has the core data called , contained within his program. It allows him to feel fear and react to it, same as you." said Tailable, walking away. That man always had an air of mystery about him.

"Tailable... who are you? What are you?" asked Zephyr, talking to himself.

*** ***

Tailable sat in a dark room, waiting. He heard the door open behind him.

"You're late. What kept you?" asked Tailable, frowning.

"Sorry. I was held up with re-writing the security data at Epsilon. So, what's the news." asked the strange male newcomer.

"Thorn, the Thief, has been captured. It won't be too long now." said Tailable.

"You want me to start searching for it then?" asked the newcomer.

"Yes. Find the program, and install it. We're gonna need it if we're gonna catch her before it's too late." said Tailable, sounding grim.

"Yes sir. After what happened last time, I'll do whatever it takes." said the newcomer, sounding worried.

"Good. Now get out. I have a lot of work to do before we're done." said Tailable, frowning.

"Yes sir. Goodnight." said the newcomer, leaving quickly.

"It won't be long now." said Tailable, staring at his chart.

The chart detailed a list of titles and dates; Thief and Guardian were both crossed off.

*** ***

"I covered wars you know." said a black haired character with a black suit on. He was talking to a small, cloud-like character.

"Yeah, well, I played that stupid game about the bird who can't stay in the air." said the cloud-like.

Suddenly, they heard a gun cock, someone walking over to them.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the cloud-like.

"Nobody important. Just another player." said the strange man, pointing the gun at them with a smile.

"What are you d-" started the cloud-like, but two gunshots were heard and they were gone.

"Just, another player." said the man, walking away slowly, his act commited with impunity. He had no fear of the administrators or moderators. He was his own law.

*** ***

Author's Note: So, as I said at the beginning, this was mostly focused on Zephyr and his conflict with his reason for existing. He needed to find a reason to exist, and he did. Also, he started to question how Tailable knows so much about him and Thorn, but he also asked a more important question: who is Tailable? What will happen soon? Who is Tailable trying to catch? Who knows? I do.  
Now, we also got a sneak peek at the next antagonist of the story, and one who will have a long story arc focused on the battle against him.  
To make things better for you, I have an announcement! Whoever reviews this and gives me a character idea and backstory that isn't overpowered, will become a main character. The four runner-ups will get minor roles, with a chance to be a major role later. Anyone else will make a cameo in the next few chapters. I will make a shout-out to all of the winners who weren't cameos at the end of Mission 02 and Sidequest 02 respectively.  
Finally, to everyone who is following the story, if you like my work, check out Chris Niosi on youtube, twitter, and /TOMEseries. Also, check out his website, , for amazing animations. He seriously inspired me, and is one of the very few people who have gained my respect over the years, counting Pewdiepie for his donating in the past, The Game Theorists for expanding my knowledge, and SomeOrdinaryGamers for doing what they love. I hope you check these people out, especially seeing as they're all on youtube, and are really entertaining.  
Please, follow the story, follow me, and review!

Thorn: Review so I can get out of this tank already!


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